Memorial Day Honors our Fallen Soldiers. I’m happy to say I have no relatives who will be honored on Memorial Day. Why? Because the holiday is to honor fallen soldiers. All of my family members who serve(d) in the military survived their service unscathed. Yet, in the broader sense of family, I believe that holidays like Memorial Day should unite us in some way as we pay homage and remembrance to those who gave their all. Continue reading
Category Archives: Commentary
Happy New Year! Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!
Happy New Year 2018! Symbolically, a new year is a new beginning, 365 days to seize a new opportunity to learn, to grow, to experience, to laugh, to apologize, to look forward, and to leave regret behind. I’m reminded of a sign my niece gave me several years ago: “If we did all the things we were capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves.” For most of us, that is far easier said than done. 2017 is the closest I’ve come so far. Continue reading
5 historical lessons for Today – Hate Must Not Replace Us
Hate must not replace us. In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, written in 1986, she included what I call both a historical and prophetic line: “. . . you have to create an it, where none was before. You do that first, in your head, and then you make it real.” If you want to see an extreme and real example with historical forebodings for today, study Germany and Europe in the 1930s as I have. Like it or not, the lessons are black and white. Consider this post an editorial observation and a historical comparison that most certainly shows precedent.
A 1926 Polish Birthday Card to the United States – Now Online
Polish and American Flags. Photo by author.
In 1926 a grateful Polish nation sent a very special birthday card to the United States in honor of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Five and a half million Poles, or nearly one-sixth of the population of the country, signed the declaration. Signers included government officials, leaders of many prominent institutions, and millions of school children. Even better, the (U.S.) Library of Congress has digitized the entire collection, 111 volumes containing 33,000 pages, and is now available publicly online. The information is just too cool not to share in time for the July 4th American Independence Day. Thank you to my friend Sue for sharing this with me! Click here for more details.